My Hero Academia: Vigilantes - Koichi's Quirk, Explained

Quick Links

• Who Is Koichi?

• Pre-Quirk Development

• How Does Koichi's Quirk Evolve?

My Hero Academia: Vigilantes brings back some of our favourite Pro-Heroes (and Villains) from the main series, but also introduces us to a whole string of new characters and their Quirks. The protagonist, Koichi Haimawari, seems not to have the strongest, flashiest Quirk out there.

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At first glance, his Slide and Glide Quirk appears simple enough to understand, but as the story unfolds, it turns out to be one of the most versatile Quirks ever seen. Not only is it perfect for evasion, but it also serves well as an offensive Quirk. Let's dive into one of the best Quirk developments in the My Hero Academia universe and how exactly it operates.

Who Is Koichi?

Koichi Haimawari is the main character of this spin-off, and although he's a university student, deep down he still wants to contribute to society by doing heroic things. He was known by the moniker 'Nice Guy' and mainly spent his time picking up litter.

However, after meeting Knuckleduster and Pop Step, he became a part of the Naruhata Vigilantes - essentially, defined as criminals by the hero system for working as a hero without a hero license. After becoming a vigilante, he adopted a new alias, 'The Crawler'. By the end of the manga, Koichi becomes the sidekick to American Pro-Hero, Captain Celebrity, changing his name to 'The Skycrawler'.

Pre-Quirk Development

At the start of the story, we see Koichi going about his everyday life as a university student, believing that his unremarkable Quirk wouldn't pass muster for Hero School entrance exams. Based on what we see in the first few episodes of Season 1, Koichi mainly uses his Quirk to transport himself from place to place.

His Quirk emits a repulsive force that requires him to be in contact with the surface in three places. He's capable of moving in any direction, even sticking himself to the side of a building. However, at this point, it's noted that his fastest speed was comparable to riding a bicycle.

However, when we meet Koichi's mother, she goes further in-depth into Koichi's Quirk in Chapter 18. She reveals that Koichi, as a baby, already exhibited his Quirk far earlier than the average child who manifests their Quirk at age four. Baby Koichi is noted to be capable of flight, floating and crawling through the air.

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However, likely due to being repeatedly swatted out of the air by his mother's Fly Swatter Quirk, Koichi's Quirk experienced a regression, and he was unable to move through the air until much later.

How Does Koichi's Quirk Evolve?

Aside from receiving martial training from Knuckleduster, the former Pro-Hero also supplies Koichi with advice to improve his Quirk. In an early conversation, Koichi reveals that the reason his maximum speed only amounts to a bicycle is because he has no brakes, resulting in injury if he goes any faster. A later encounter with Ingenium helps him succeed in braking, and Koichi starts gaining speed after that.

Although certain characters like Uraraka Ochako and Toga Himiko experienced a Quirk evolution after being in a near-death scenario, Koichi's situation is slightly different. The evolution of Koichi's Quirk appears to go through fits and starts, activating out of necessity or its user's survival instincts. For example, Koichi can temporarily walk midair for the first time since infancy, due to his strong intention and need to save Makoto.

In Chapter 108, All For One observed that since Koichi is always on the defensive in most of his fights, these experiences have honed his reflexes to the point that his Quirk reacts instantly to defend him. By the end of the manga, Koichi's Quirk is not only able to move as fast as the highest speed of the Overclock Quirk, but he's also able to shoot repulsion projectiles powerful enough to deal massive damage to opponents.

What's more, he has developed the ability to create repulsion barriers to protect himself from attacks, with the added versatility of being able to concentrate it on a specific part of his body. Koichi could also fly temporarily, and his Quirk, at closer glance, is quite similar to Captain Celebrity's Flight Quirk. Once Koichi becomes a sidekick to the aforementioned Pro-Hero, he has his Quirk name changed from Slide and Glide to Flight.

Compared to the characters in the main series who had their Quirks evolve in a single, big event, Koichi's Quirk likely has more opportunities to progress due to his dangerous life as a vigilante. Near-constant run-ins with Trigger Villains, Kuin Hachisuka, and Number 6 allowed Koichi to develop his Quirk in a different way compared to hero students in a more controlled environment.

This is what makes Koichi such an interesting character in contrast to Midoriya Izuku, since we actually see in real-time the transformation of a 'weak' Quirk into one of the most useful in the show, capable of single-handedly taking on a major Villain like Number 6.

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